Ministry of Earth Sciences
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research conducts Awareness Drive as part of Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar  Campaign in Mormugao
5 Beaches in Goa to be part of 75 Beach Mega Coastal Cleanup Event on 17th September
Panaji, 8 September 2022
The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research  along with Mormugao Port Authority , Vigyan Prasar and Deepvihar Higher Secondary School organized an Awareness Drive as part of the Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar Campaign in Mormugao on Thursday, 8th September 2022. The drive consisted of a walkathon, which saw enthusiastic participation from students and teachers, followed by a lecture on the importance of protecting oceans from pollution.
Following the drive, addressing a press meet, Dr.V Sakthivel Samy, Scientist ‘F’ at NCPOR stated that the objective of the event is to spread the message of taking responsibility for the cleanliness of our coasts and oceans. Dr.Samy said the drive aims at ensuring that people take up responsibility and clean coasts and oceans so that the next generation can also enjoy clean beaches, clean waters and good quality produce from the sea.
Dr. Samy also informed of a mega cleanup drive that is planned for the 17th of September which happens to be International Coastal Cleanup Day in 5 beaches in Goa. The event will be part of a National Cleanup drive organized by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences , Union Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate Change , Indian Coast Guard, National Disaster Management Authority  along with other social organizations and educational institutions in 75 beaches across the country. The day also marks the culmination of the 75-day Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar Campaign. The beaches in Goa where the cleaning drive will take place on 17th September are Miramar, Baina, Bogmalo, Velsao and Colva Beach.
The event on International Coastal Cleanup Day is expected to have large participation, both from various stakeholders and the general public. Among other activities, the drive will include collecting, segregating and safely disposing waste from the beaches. The organizers at Awareness drive event also stated that such measures are an attempt to convert cleaning campaigns and the message of Swachhta to a mass people’s movement.
Also Present at the event were Dr. K B Bhushan, Scientist ‘E’ at Vigyan Prasar and Officials from the Mormugao Port Authority.
Background
Swachh Sagar Surakshit Sagar Campaign
The "Swachh Sagar, Surakshit Sagar/Clean Coast Safe Sea “campaign is a 75-day citizen-led campaign for improving ocean health through collective action. The campaign started on July 5th, 2022 and has 3 strategic underlying goals that target transformation and environmental conservation through behavior change. The three underlying goals of the campaign are to 1. Consume Responsibly 2. Segregate waste at home and 3. Dispose Responsibly.
This event also coincides with the celebrations of Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav in 75th year of the country’s independence; The coastal cleanup drive will be carried out at 75 beaches across the country with 75 volunteers for every kilometre of the coastline.The campaign will culminate with the largest beach cleaning event on Sept 17, 2022  covering 75 beaches across India’s 7500+km coastline.
NCPOR
National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research  is India’s premier R&D institution responsible for the country’s research activities in the polar and Southern Ocean realms.